Lid dispensing apparatus



Aug 12, 1969 c. F. KEAs LID DIISPENSING APPARATUS 5 Sheets-Sheet l FiledOct. 17. 1966 Aug. l2, 1969 c. F.k KEAs LID DISPENS ING APPARATUS 5Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Oct. 1'7. 1966 @y npmliwwm Kfm:

Aug. l2, 1969 4 C, F, KEAS 3,460,314l

mn msPENsING APPARATUS Filed oct. 17, 1966 l 5 sheets-sheet s Aug. 12,1969 c. F. KEAs 3,460,314

LID DISPENSING APPARATUS med oct. 17, 196e l 5 sheets-sheet L rpm/ww@Aug. l2, 1969 c. F. KEAs 3,460,314

LID DISPENSING APPARATUS Filed Oct. 17, 1966 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 U.S. Cl.53-72 17 Claims ABSTRACT F THE DISCLUSURE An apparatus for applyingskirted covers to containers as they are advanced by a conveyor in whichthe cover applying head normally supports a cover in downwardlyconverging relation to the containers on the conveyor in a position suchthat the container engages the cover in the head and strips the coveroff the head, and in which the cover applying head is automaticallymoved to an inoperative position out of the path of movement of thecontainers on the conveyor in the absence of a container on the conveyoradjacent the capping station. The capping apparatus also includes animproved head construction in which the lowermost cover is supported bythe head in the cover applying position to be engaged by a container onthe conveyor, and a second cover is supported in the head in steppedoverlapping relation to the lowermost cover to minimize the timerequired for the second cover to move into cover applying position.

This invention relates to improvements in cover applying apparatus.

It is a general object of this invention to provide an improved coverapplying apparatus which will reliably and rapidly apply skirted coversto containers while the containers are in motion past the cover applyingapparatus.

Another object of this invention is to provide a cover applyingapparatus of the type wherein containers are advanced by a conveyor pasta cover applying head to strip the cover from the head as they movetherepast 'and which has an improved arrangement for preventingdispensing of the cover in the absence of a container on the conveyor asit moves past the cover applying head.

Another object of this invention is to provide a cover applyingapparatus of the type wherein containers are advanced in spacedcontainer receiving pockets on a conveyor past a cover applying head andwherein the head is automatically moved from an operative cover applyingposition to an inoperative position to prevent dispensing of the coverin the absence of a container in the conveyor pocket as it moves pastthe head.

A further object of this invention is to provide a cover applyingapparatus in accordance with the foregoing object and having an improvedarrangement for sensing the presence of a container in the conveyorpockets as they move past the cover applying head and which sensingapparatus controls movement of the head to its inoperative position onlyin the absence of a container in the conveyor pocket at the coverapplying station and which avoids spurious movement of the head into andout of its operative position due to the normal spacing of thecontainers in the pockets on the conveyor.

Yet another object of this invention is to provide a cover applyingapparatus wherein the cover applying head is automatically moved to aninoperative position in the absence of a container in proper positionbelow the cover 3,450,314 Patented Aug. 12, 1969 applying head toprevent dispensing of covers in the absence of a container in cappingposition and wherein an improved arrangement is provided forinterrupting the feed of covers to the cover applying head while thelatter is in its inoperative position. Y

Still another object of this invention is to provide a cover applyingapparatus of the type wherein the covers are supported by -a coverapplying head in a downwardly inclined position in the path of movementof containers to be stripped from the head by the containers, and whichcover applying apparatus is arranged to minimize the time required tomove a succeeding cover into position on the cover applying head for asubsequent capping operation.

These, together with other objects and advantages of this invention,will be better understood by reference to the following detaileddescription when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings,wherein:

FIGURE l is a side elevational view of a packaging machine embodying thecover applying -apparatus of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary side elevational view illustrating the coverapplying apparatus on a larger scale than FIG. 1 and with parts brokenaway and shown in section to illustrate details of construction;

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary transverse sectional view taken on the plane 3 3of FIG. 2;

FIGS. 4, 5 and 6 are fragmentary side elevational views of the coverapplying apparatus with parts broken away and illustrating the parts ona larger scale than FIG. 2 and in diiferent moved positions;

FIG. 7 is a fragmentary vertical sectional View through the cover feedapparatus taken on the plane 7-7 of FIG. 8;

FIG. 8 is a sectional view through the cover magazine taken on the plane8 8 of FIG. 7;

FIG. 9 is a fragmentary view of a container and cover of a type adaptedfor use with the present invention; and

FIG. 10 is a fragmentary sectional view illustrating nested covers asthey stack in the magazine.

The cover applying apparatus of the present invention is generallyadapted for use in applying skirt-type covers to containers as they areadvanced along a path and may, for example, be used in conjunction witha packaging machine as shown in FIG, l. The packaging machine includes apocketed conveyor 21 of the endless type which is entrained oversprockets 22 and 23 adjacent opposite ends of the machine and whichconveyor is driven in continuous fashion as by a motor 24 through aspeed reducing drive mechanism 25. As shown in FIG. 1, a containerdispenser 26, a ller 27 and a capper 28 are disposed at spaced stationsalong the conveyor to sequentially dispense containers into the pockets,ll the pockets and apply covers to the lled containers. The containerdispenser and filler may be of any conventional construction, details ofwhich form no part of the present invention. However, Iboth arepreferably driven in timed relation with the movement of the conveyor.As shown, the container dispenser is driven through a drive mechanism 3lon one of the conveyor sprockets 22 to dispense containers into thepockets in timed relation with the movement of the pockets past thecontainer dispenser. The ller 27 shown herein is of the rotary nozzletype which is driven in timed relation with the conveyor through a drivemechanism 33 operatively connected to a drive shaft 34 which extendslengthwise of the lling machine and which is driven in timed relationwith the conveyor through a power take-off mechanism 35. As shown,product is supplied to the filler 27 through a product pump 36.

While the capping apparatus of the present invention 1s generallyadapted for applying skirted covers to containers, it is particularlydesigned for use in applying covers to relatively lightweight, iiexiblecontainers formed of plastic or the like. A typical container C andcover K therefor are illustrated in FIGS. 9 and l0 As shown, thecontainers are in the form of a cup-like body having a bottom Wall 37,marginal side walls 38 and an outwardly and downwardly extending rimportion 39 which terminates in an outwardly extending flange 41. Thecovers K are shaped to overlie the container and flange and include amouth-spanning portion 42, a downwardly extending rim 43, a peripheralbead 44 and an outwardly extending flange 45 at the lower end of thebead. As shown in FIG. 9, the bead portion 44 on the cover is adapted tosnap over the container flange 41 to releasably lock the cover on thecontainer.

Containers formed of thin, flexible plastic material are subject towarpage and to distortion due to pressures applied during handling andcapping the same. The container receiving pockets on the conveyor 21 areaccordingly advantageously constructed and arranged to rmly support thecontainers adjacent the tops thereof as the containers are advancedthrough the machine and past the cover applying apparatus. As best shownin FIGS. 3-6, the container receiving pockets on the conveyor are in theform of trays I48 connected as by brackets 49 to endless conveyor chains51. The trays have container receiving openings therein with upturnedflanges S2 along the sides and ends of the openings. The anges arearranged to closely surround the side walls 38 of the container andextend into the space between the container side walls and thedownturned rim 39 to firmly support the containers adjacent their upperends.

The cover applying apparatus 28 includes a cover supporting and applyinghead 55 for applying covers to the containers as they move past the headand a feed means for feeding covers to the head. This feed meansincludes a cover magazine 56, a cover feed mechanism 57 for removingindividual covers from the magazine, and a chute S8 for conveying thecovers in edge-to-edge relation to the head 55. As will be seen, theconveyor pockets 48 advance the containers along a path with the tops ofthe containers at a preselected level, and the cover applying head 55 isarranged to support a cover in downwardly converging relation to thepath of travel of the containers and with the lower edge of the coverextending below the level of the top of the containers to lbe engagedthereby and stripped oli the cover applying head as the containers movebelow the head.

In order to prevent dispensing of a cover in the absence of a container,provision is made for automatically moving the cover applying head to aninoperative position when no container is present in the -pocket belowthe head. The cover applying head is preferably ,made verticallyswingable into and out of cover applying position and, as best shown inFIGS. 3-6, the head includes a lower chute portion 61 having a bottomguide 61a for guidably supporting the bottom of the cover and laterallyspaced side guides 61b for laterally Aguiding the cover. The lower chuteportion 61 is nonrotatably secured as by brackets 63 to a shaft 64rotatably mounted on frame members 65 on the packaging machine adjacentthe capping station. An arm 66 is non-rotatably secured to one end ofthe shaft 64 and is operated by a head moving apparatus describedhereinafter to move the head between a lower or operative cover applyingposition and an upper or inoperative position. As shown in FIG. 6, stops67 and 68 are adjustably secured to the frame member 65 and arranged toengage the arm 66 to limit movement of the cover applying head betweenits lower cover applying position and its upper inoperative positionrespectively.

As will be seen, the spacing between adjacent container receivingpockets is small as compared to the length of the containers and,particularly when the conveyor is operated at a relatively high speed,problems are encountered in moving a succeeding cover into properposition on the head in time to apply the same to the next succeedingcontainer. An important feature of the present invention resides in animproved cover applying head construction which minimizes the timerequired to move a succeeding cover into cover applying position. Thehead includes spaced side plates 70 which are generally co- -planar withthe lateral carton guides 61b of the lower chute portion and formextensions thereof, and a bottom wall 71 which extends between the sideplates 70 to engage and support the underside of the cover. The bottomwall 71 may be either continuous or in the form of inwardly directediianges and denes a cover support ledge which preferably generallyparallels but is offset below the bottom guide 61a of the lower chuteportion a distance slightly greater than the -depth of one cover. Thebottom wall or ledge 71 is inclined downwardly and supports thelowermost cover K, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 4 in downwardly convergingrelation to the path of the movement of the containers on the conveyorwith the top of the lowermost cover no higher than the bottom guide 61aof the lower chute portion so that a succeeding cover designated K2 canpass through the lower chute portion into overlying relation to thecover on the support ledge 71. A cover gate is provided for releasablysupporting the covers in the head and, preferably, the cover gate isarranged to support the overlying cover K2 in staggered relation withrespect to the cover K1 on the ledge 71, as best shown in FIG. 4, toinhibit nesting of the covers in the head. The cover gate is preferablyin the form of one or more gate members 73 conveniently pivotallymounted at 74 on the side plates 70 of the head for vertical swingingmovement relative to the head. A guide pin 75 is pivotally secured tothe gate member 73 as by a pin 76, and the guide pin 75 extends througha bracket 77 attached to the cover applying head. The gate member isyieldably urged to a lowered position as by a compression spring 78interposed between the bracket 77 and a stop washer 79 on the guide pin,and a stop nut 81 is adjustably secured to the pin to engage the otherside of the bracket 77 las shown in FIG. 2 and limit downward movementof the gate member to a normal cover stop position shown in FIGS. 2 and4. The gate member has a downwardly projecting iinger 73a arranged, inthe cover stop position thereof, to engage the lower edge of the coverK1 on the support ledge 71, to releasably hold that cover on the head.The gate member also includes a shoulder 73b defining a second stopportion which is spaced above the finger 73a to engage the overlyingcover K2, and which second stop portion is offset relative to the finger73a to support the overlying cover in staggered relation with respect tothe cover on the ledge 71. As shown in FIG. 4, the finger 73a is spacedfrom the end of the lower chute portion 61 a distance somewhat greaterthan the length of :a cover to allow the cover K1 to rest on the supportledge 71, and the shoulder 73b is spaced from the chute portion adistance less than the length of a cover so that the overlying cover K2is supported at its upper end on the bottom guide 61a of the lower chuteportion. The finger 73a has a length slightly greater than the depth ofa cover and, during withdrawal of the lowermost cover K1 as shown inFIGS. 5 and 6, the finger rides over the top of the lowermost cover andspaces the shoulder 73b thereabove to allow the overlying cover K2 tomove downwardly into engagement with the finger 73a. As will be seen,the withdrawal of the lowermost cover K1 tends to drag the overlyingcover K2 therewith until it engages the stop finger 73a, to thereby aidin moving the succeeding cover into proper position,

The means for moving the head into and out of its operative coverapplying position is conveniently of the iluid operated type and, asshown, includes a linear actuator having a cylinder 85 mounted by abracket 86 on the machine frame and a piston rod 87 operativelyconnected to the lever 66. The fluid actuator can be of either thesingle or double acting type and is herein shown of the single actingtype having a spring (not shown) for yieldably urging the piston rod 87to its retracted position, that is to the right as viewed in FIG. 6. Aselectively operable means is provided for controlling the applicationof air to the uid actuator to extend the same and, in the form shown,this means includes a control valve 89 for controlling the supply of airfrom a supply line 88 through a line 90 leading to the actuator cylinder85. The control valve 89 is normally arranged to block ow of air fromthe supply line 88 to the cylinder 85, and any suitable means may beprovided for moving the control valve to its open position. ln the formshown, the control valve is operated under the control of a remote pilot91 having an actuator 91a so arranged as to cause the control valve tomove `to its open position when the actuator 91a is depressed.

A sensing means is provided for detecting the presence of a container inthe conveyor pockets as they move past the capping head and foroperating the head moving means to raise the head in the absence of acontainer in the pocket as it moves past the cover applying station, toprevent dispensing of a cover under these conditions. This sensing meansincludes a main sensor herein shown in the form of an arm 101 pivotallymounted on a shaft 102 attached to the main support frame and having acontainer engaging element 103 at its outer end. The sensing arm 101 isnormally urged to a raised position as by a spring 104 connected at oneend to an arm 105 on the shaft 102 and at the other end to an adjustablesupport 106 on the main machine frame. The sensing arm is normally urgedupwardly into engagement with the bottom of the containers as they movepast the capping head, and an adjustable actuator finger 108 isconnected to the arm 105 to operate the pilot valve actuator 91a whenthe container engaging element 103 engages a container. As will be seenfrom FIGS. 4-6, the container engaging element on the sensor arm 101 ispositioned to engage the containers only slightly in advance of theposition at which the container tops engage the covers in the head andsuch that the head moving means can move the head downwardly to positionthe lower edge of the cover between adjacent containers on the conveyor.The lead, that is the positioning of the container engaging element 103in advance of the cover applying position is selected in accordance withthe spacing between adjacent containers and the time delay inherent inthe head moving means, so as to assure that the container engaging headmoves downwardly between adjacent containers when the container engagingelement 103 engages the bottom of a container and depresses the arm, andthat the head moves upwardly between adjacent containers, when thecontainer engaging element 103 disengages a container and allows the arm101 to move upwardly. A container hold-down guide 107 is preferablymounted to extend slightly above the level of the tops of the containersin the region adjacent the container sensor, to hold the containers inthe pocket-s when the sensor engages the underside of the containers. Ameans is advantageously provided to prevent spurious raising andlowering of the head when the intervening space between adjacentcontainers passes the container engaging element 103 on the sensor arm101. This means includes a second sensor herein shown in the form of anarm 111 conveniently supported on ths shaft 102 for free swingingmovement relative thereto, and which arm is yieldably urged to a raisedposition as by a spring 112. The arm 111 has a container engagingelement 113 thereon which is spaced lengthwise of the conveyor means ina direction opposite the direction of movement of the conveyor adistance greater than the effective spacing between adjacent containerson the conveyor at the point of engagement of the sensors therewith. Thesecond sensor 111 including the container engaging element 113 is thusarranged to engage a container in a succeeding pocket before thecontainer engaging element 103 on the first sensor arm 101 disengagesthe container at the conveyor applying station.

The second sensor is arranged to provide a secondary type of control forthe head moving means and only prevent raising of the cover applyinghead when the head is already in a lowered position applying a cover toa container moving past the head, if a container is present in the nextsucceeding pocket 0n the conveyor. Stated otherwise, the arrangement issuch that the second sensor will not operate to lower the cover applyinghead if the latter has previously been raised, even if the second sensordetects a container in the succeeding conveyor pocket. Instead, movementof the cover applying head to its lowered position remains under thecontrol of the first sensor and lowering of the head is thereforedelayed until that container in the succeeding conveyor pocket advancesto a position to engage the first sensor. In the embodiment illustrated,the second sensor arm controls raising of the first sensor arm and isoperative, when depressed, to prevent raising of the first sensor arm ifthe latter is already in its lowered position, but the second sensor armwill not effect lowering of the first sensor arm if the latter is in itsraised position. This operation is achieved by a cam member 121 which ismovably mounted as by a pin 122 on the rst sensor arm 101. The cammember has a lobe portion 121a and a well portion 121b spaced relativelydifferent distances from the pivot axis 122 of the cam member, and thecam member is movable relative to the first sensor arm from an operativeposition shown in FIG. 5 when the first sensor arm is depressed to aninoperative position as shown in FIGS. 4 and 6- when he first sensor armis raised. When Ithe cam member is in its operative position shown inFIG. 5, the lobe portion 1210 is positioned to engaged a part such as ahub 113a on the container engaging element 113 of the second sensor armso that, when the second sensor arm is thereafter depressed in responseto engagement with a container in the succeeding pocket, it will holdthe first sensor arm in its lowered position as shown in FIG. 2.However, when the rst sensor arm is in its raised position, the cammember is moved to its inoperative position shown in FIGS. 4 and 6, andthe well portion 121b 1s positioned in the path of movement of theSecond sensor arm. The well portion is shaped so that the depressing ofthe second sensor arm is ineffective to depress the first sensor arm andthe head will therefore remain in ralsed position until the first sensorarm is thereafter depressed in response to engagement with a container.Any suitable means may be provided for moving the cam member relative tothe first sensor arm between its operative and inoperative positionsand, in the form shown, this comprises a resilient spring link 125having one end pivotally connected at 126 to the cam member and theother end pivotally connected at 127 to a stationary part of the frame.As will be seen, the resilient link 125 is connected to the cam membereccentrically of it-s pivot axis 122 and will move the cam memberbetween its operative position when the arm 101 is lowered and itsinoperative position when the sensor arm 101 is raised. With thisarrangement it is apparent that raising and lowering of the coverapplying head is controlled primarily by the first sensor arm 101, andthe second sensor arm is operative only to maintain the cover applyinghead in its lowered position if there is a container in the nextsucceeding pocket on the conveyor. A means is provided for firmlypressing the covers on the containers, as the containers are advancedaway from the capping head. In the embodiment illustrated, this meansincludes a plurality of rollers 129 mounted on a carriage to extendcrosswise above the conveyor at a level to engage and firmly press thecovers on the containers.

A nested stack of covers is supported in the magazine 56 in an invertedposition as shown in FIG. 10. The magazine includes a frame 131 havingan opening 132 dimensioned to allow passage of covers therethrough andguide means such as rods 133 for guidably supporting the nested stack ofcovers. The covers in the stack are in an inverted position as shown inFIG. and the lowermost cover in the stack is releasably supported aroundthe periphery of the opening 132 by a plurality of cover engagingfingers 136. The cover engaging fingers, as best shown in FIGS. 7 and 8,are preferably pivotally mounted as on pins 137 supported by brackets13S on the magazine frame, and the lingers have inwardly directed tipportions 136a arranged to engage the flange on the cover to underlie andsupport the same. The container engaging fingers are yieldably urgedinwardly into engagement with the cover as by a girdle spring 141, andstop portions 13611 are provided on the fingers to limit inward swingingmovement of the latter.

The chute 58 has a portion 145 that underlies the opening 132 in themagazine frame to guide the covers into the chute, and the vacuumoperated cover feed mechanism is arranged for movement through anopening 146 in the portion 145 between a retracted position as shown inFIG. 7 and an extended position engaging the end cover in the stack asshown in FIG. 3. The vacuum operated feed mechanism includes a vacuumcup 148 conveniently mounted by an arm 149 on a hub 150 nonrotatablysecured to a shaft 151. The cover feed mechanism is operated in timedrelation with the movement of the conveyor and, for this purpose, an arm152 (FIG. 3) is secured to the shaft 151 and is connected through a link153 to a crank 154. The crank 154 is rotated in timed relation with themovement of the conveyor so as to cornplete one revolution each time theconveyor is advanced a distance corresponding to the center-to-centerspacing of the conveyor pockets. As shown in FIGS. l and 2, the crank isdriven through a power take-off 156 from the shaft 34 which, aspreviously described, is driven in timed relation with the movement ofthe conveyor. 'Ihe vacuum operated feeder is thus cyclically oscillatedfrom its retracted position to its extended position and back each timethe conveyor is advanced a distance corresponding to one pocket. Vacuumis applied to the vacuum cup 148 through a line 161 (FIG. 8) and,preferably, a valve means is provided for interrupting the vacuum supplyto the cup when the arm is in its retracted position shown in FIG. 7, tothereby facilitate release of the cover. The valve means shown herein(FIGS. 7 and 8) comprises a bushing 165 supported on the shaft 151 forturning relative thereto and yieldably urged by a spring 166 against theend of the hub 150. A second bushing 168 is preferably mounted on theshaft 151 for lturning relative thereto and yieldably urged intoengagement with the other end of the hub as by a spring 169. The vacuumsupply line 161 communicates through a passage 170 with an arcuate valveport 171 formed at the end face of the bushing 165 and the hub has avalve passage 172 opening at the end faces thereof and arranged tocommunicate with the arcuate valve port when the vacuum cup is in .itsextended position shown in FIG. 2 and` until the vacuum cup is retractedto a position adjacent the opening 146 in the portion 145 of the coverchute. The valve passage 172 communicates through a line 172a with thevacuum cup 148 and, when the vacuum cup is in its fully retractedposition, the valve passage 172 in the hub is out of communication withthe valve port 171 to shut off vacuum to the vacuum cup and the valvepassage then communicates with atmosphere through a port 173 in theother bushing 168 (FIG. 8). The valve bushings 165 and 168 are heldagainst turning by brackets 174e and 174b, and the brackets areadjustably secured to the magazine frame as shown in FIG. 7 to enableadjustment of the timing of the valving operations.

The cover feeding mechanism thus normally operates to feed a coverthrough the chute 58 to the cover applying head each time the conveyoris advanced a distance corresponding to the center-to-center spacing ofthe pockets. However, provision is advantageously madefor interruptingfeeding of covers when the cover applying head is moved to itsinoperative position, to thereby prevent excessive accumulation ofcovers in the chute. This is conveniently achieved in the presentapparat-us by providing a valve 175 in the vacuum line 161 leading tothe vacuum cup and arranging the valve for operation to shut off thevacuum to the cups whenever the head is raised. As shown, the valve 175is mounted by a bracket 176 on the machine frame and has an actuator175a arranged to be engaged by the head operating lever 66 when thelatter is moved to its head raising position, to thereby shut off thevacuum supply to the cover feed mechanism.

From the foregoing it is thought that the construction and operation ofthe cover feed mechanism will be readily understood. The cover feedmechanism operates to remove individual covers from the stack anddeposit the same one at a time in the chute, in timed relation with themovement of the conveyor, and the covers are guided through the chute inedge-to-edge relation to the cover applying head. One cover K1 issupported in the head on the support ledge 71 at a level below thebottom of the chute so that a second cover K2 can overlie the lowercover as shown in FIG. 4. If a container is in the pocket as it isadvanced below the cover applying head, the sensor arm 101 engages thecontainer and operates to move the cover applying head to its lowerposition as shown in FIG. 2 with the lower edge of the cover disposed inthe path of movement of the container. The container thus strips orwithdraws the lower cover from the head as it is advanced past the headas shown in FIG. 5, and the cover gate members 73 ride over the top ofthe lower container. If a container is present in the next succeedingpocket, the second sensor arm 4will engage that container before thelirst sensor arm disengages the container at the cover applying head sothat the head will remain in its lowered position. If no container ispresent in the pocket as it is moved past the head, the first sensor armmoves to its raised position and automatically raises the cover applyinghead as shown in FIG. 4 so as to prevent dispensing of a cover in theabsence of a container. On the other hand, it a container is present inthe pocket moving past the cover applying head, but no container ispresent in the next succeeding pocket, the second sensor arm will moveupwardly as shown in FIG. 6 and allow the iirst sensor to also moveupwardly after it passes out of engagement with the container at thecover applying head. Whenever the cover applying head is in its raisedposition, vacuum to the feed mechanism is shut olf so that feeding ofsuccessive covers is interrupted.

Since the cover applying head supports several covers in superposed butstaggered relation, it will be seen that the time required to move asucceeding cover into proper cover applying position is minimized. Thisenables the cover applying apparatus to be used in machines where thecontainer receiving pockets are spaced closely together, as well as inmachines where the conveyor is operated at a relatively high speed.

What is claimed as new is:

1. In an apparatus for applying skirted covers to containers includingconveyor means having container receiving pockets at spaced pointstherealong movable along a path past a cover applying station, saidcontainer receiving pockets each having means extending upwardly to apreselected level for supportably engaging a container adjacent the topthereof to advance the containers with the tops of the containersadjacent said preselected level, a cover supporting and applying head atsaid station having means for releasably supporting a skirted cover,

and means for feeding covers to said head, the improvement comprising,means mounting said cover supporting and applying head for movementbetween an operative cover applying position and an inoperative positionspaced from said operative position, said cover applying head in saidoperative position thereof releasably supporting a skirted cover indownwardly converging relation to said path of movement of the containerreceiving pockets with the lower edge of the cover extending below saidpreselected le-vel to apply the cover to the container as the latter isadvanced by the conveyor means past the cover applying head, said headin said inoperative position supporting a cover away from the path ofmovement of the container receiving pockets in the conveyor means, meansfor sensing the presence of a container on the conveyor means at thecover applying station, and head moving means operated by said sensingmeans for moving said cover supporting and applying head from saidoperative position to said inoperative position in the absence of acontainer on the conveyor means at said cover applying station.

2. An apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said cover supporting andapplying head is pivotally mounted for vertical swinging movement fromsaid operative to said inoperative position.

3. An apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said means for feedingcovers to said head includes a cover magazine, a cover feed mechanismfor serially withdrawing covers from the magazine and for deliveringthem to the cover supporting and applying head, means for operating saidcover feed mechanism in timed relation with said conveyor means, andmeans for rendering said cover feed mechanism inoperative to feed coverswhen said cover supporting and applying head is moved to its inoperativeposition.

4. In an apparatus for applying skirted covers to containers comprising,conveyor means having spaced container receiving pockets at spacedpoints therealong movable along a path past a cover applying station,said container receiving pockets each having means extending upwardly toa preselected level for supportably engaging a container adjacent thetop thereof to advance the containers with the container tops adjacentsaid preselected level, a cover supporting and applying head at saidstation having means for releasably supporting a skirted cover, andmeans including a chute for feeding covers to said head, the improvementcomprising means mounting said head for vertical swinging movementbetween a lower and a raised position, said head in said lower positionsupporting a skirted cover in downwardly converging relation to saidpath of movement of the container receiving pockets in the conveyorwiththe lower edge of the cover extending below said preselected levelto apply the cover to a container as the latter is advanced past thehead, sensing means for detecting the presence of a container in theconveyor pocket as it moves past the head, and head moving meansoperatively connected to said sensing means for moving said head to saidlower position in the presence of a container in the conveyor pocket atthe cover applying station and for moving the head to said raisedposition in the absence of a container in the pocket at that station,said head in its raised position supporting a cover with its lower edgesubstantially above said preselected level to thereby prevent dispensingof a cover in the absence of a container.

5. An apparatus according to claim 4 wherein said means for moving saidhead includes a uid actuator and valve means controlled by said sensingmeans for operating said uid actuator.

v 6. An apparatus according to claim 4 wherein said means for feed-ingcovers to said head includes a cover magazine and vacuum operatedgripper means operable to withdraw covers from the magazine and deliverthe same one at a time to said chute, means for operating said grippingmeans in timed relation with said conveyor means, and means forinterrupting the vacuum to said gripper means when said head is in itsraised position.

7. In an apparatus for applying skirted covers to containers comprising,conveyor means for advancing containers along a path with the tops ofthe containers at a preselected level, means including a chute fordelivering downwardly facing skirted covers to a capping station, saidchute including a lower chute portion having a downwardly inclinedbottom guide for guiding covers in edgeto-edge relation, a coverapplying head including a downwardly inclined cover support ledge at thelower end of said chute portion and oifset below said bottom guide adistance slightly greater than the depth of a skirted cover whereby asecond cover can pass through the chute portion and into overlyingrelation to the cover on the support ledge, cover gate means defining afirst stop portion engageable with the cover on said ledge portion forreleasably retaining that cover on the ledge and for releasing thatcover when a container engages the same, and means defining a secondstop portion engageable with the overlying cover to stop the latter in aposition staggered with respect to the cover on the ledge.

8. An apparatus according to claim 7 wherein said cover gate meansincludes a member mounted on the head above said ledge for movementrelative to the head between a lower stop position and an upper releaseposition, said member having a stop finger at its outer end spaced fromsaid chute portion a distance greater than the length of a cover andoperative in said stop position to engage the lower edge of a cover onsaid ledge, said member having a shoulder disposed above said stop ingerand offset therefrom toward said chute portion to engage the lower edgeof an overlying cover and stop the latter in staggered relation relativeto the cover on said ledge.

9. An apparatus according to claim `8 wherein said shoulder is spacedfrom said chute portion a distance less than the length of a cover.

10. An apparatus according to claim 8 wherein said stop finger has alength greater than the depth of a single cover, said finger beingadapted to ride over the top of the cover as it is withdrawn from theledge to space said second shoulder above the cover a distance greaterthan the depth of the overlying cover whereby to allow the latter tomove into engagement with said stop finger during withdrawal of thelower cover from the support ledge.

11. In an apparatus for applying skirted covers to containers includingconveyor means for advancing containers along a path past a coverapplying station with the tops of the containers at a preselected level,a cover applying head at said station having means for releasablysupport-ing a skirted cover, and means for feeding covers to said head,the improvement comprising, means mounting said cover applying head formovement between an operative cover applying position and an inoperativeposition spaced from said operative position, said cover applying headin said operative position thereof releasably supporting a skirted coverin downwardly converging relation to said path of movement of thecontainers with the lower edge of the cover extend-ing below saidpreselected level to apply the cover to the container as the latter isadvanced by the conveyor means past the cover applying head, said headin said inoperative position supporting a cover away from the path ofmovement of the container by the conveyor means, means for sensing thepresence of a container on the conveyor means at the cover applyingstation, and head moving means operated by said sens-ing means formoving said cover applying head from said operative position to saidinoperative position in the absence of a container on the conveyor meansat said cover applying station, said means for feeding covers to saidhead including a cover magazine and vacuum gripper means operable toremove covers from the magazine and to feed them to the head, means foroperating said vacuum gripper means in timed relation with said conveyormeans, and means for interrupting the vacuum to said gripper means whensaid cover applying head is in its inoperative position.

12. In an apparatus for applying skirted covers to containers includingconveyor means for advancing containers along a path past a coverapplying station with the tops of the containers at a preselected level,a cover applying head at said station having means for 'releasablysupporting a skirted cover, and means for feeding covers to said head,the improvement comprising, means for mounting said cover applying headfor movement between an operative cover applying position and aninoperative position spaced from said operative position, said coverapplying head in said operative position thereof releasably supporting askirted cover in downwardly converging relation to said path of movementof the containers with the lower edge of the cover extending below saidpreselected level to apply the cover to the container as the latter isadvanced by the conveyor means past the cover applying head, said headin said inoperative position supporting a cover away from the path ofmovement of the container by the conveyor means, means for sensing thepresence of a container on the conveyor means at the cover applyingstation, and head moving means operated by said sensing means for movingsaid cover applying head from said operative position to saidinoperative position in the absence of a container on the conveyor meansat said cover applying station, said conveyor means having containerreceiving pockets therealong separated from each other by an interveningspace, said sensing means including a first sensor actuatable by acontainer in the conveyor pocket as it moves past the cover applyingstation, a second sensor spaced in a direction opposite the direction ofmovement of the conveyor means from the rst sensor a distance greaterthan said intervening space and actuatable by a container in the nextsucceeding pocket in the conveyor means, said head moving meansincluding means `controlled by said first sensor for moving said coverapplying head to its operative position when the rst sensor is actuatedand to its inoperative position when the rst sensor is deactuated, andmeans responsive to actuation of said second sensor by the container ina succeeding pocket while said first sensor is actuated for preventingoperation of said cover applying head to its inoperative position whenthe intervening space between adjacent pockets passes said rst sensor.

13. In an apparatus for applying skirted covers to containers includingconveyor means for advancing containers along a path past a coverapplying station with the tops of the containers at a preselected level,a cover applying head at said station having means for releasablysupporting a skirted cover, and means for feeding covers to said head,the improvement comprising, means mounting said cover applying head formovement between an operative cover applying position and an inoperativeposition spaced from said operative position, said cover applying headin said operative position thereof releasably supporting a skirted coverin downwardly converging relation to said path of movement of thecontainers with the lower edge of the cover extending below saidpreselected level to apply the cover to the container as the latter isadvanced by the conveyor means past the cover applying head, said headin said inoperative position supporting a cover away from the path ofmovement of the container by the conveyor means, means for sensing thepresence of a container on the conveyor means at the cover applyingstation, and head moving means operated by said sensing means for movingsaid cover applying head from said operative position to saidinoperative position in the absence of a container on the conveyor meansat said cover applying station, said conveyor means having containerreceiving pockets for supporting containers at spaced locationstherealong, said sensing means including a rst sensor arm having acontainer engaging follower thereon positioned to be depressed by acontainer at the cover applying station, a second sensor arm having acontainer engaging follower thereon spaced in a direction opposite thedirection of movement of the conveyor means from the follower on thefirst sensor arm a distance greater than the spacing between adjacentcontainers to be depressed by the next succeeding container before thefollower on the first arm disengages the container at the cover applyingstation, and means responsive to depressing o f said second sensor armand operative only when said first sensor arm is depressed for holdingsaid iirst sensor arm in a depressed position.

14. An apparatus according to claim 13 wherein said last mentioned meansincludes a member on said first arm movable relative thereto into anoperative position when said first arm is depressed, said second sensorarm, when depressed, engaging said member when the latter is in itsoperative position.

15. In an apparatus for applying skirted covers to containers includingconveyor means for advancing containers along a path past a coverapplying station with the tops of the containers at a preselected level,a cover applying head at said station having means for releasablysupporting a skirted cover, and means for feeding covers to' said head,the improvement comprising, means mounting said cover applying head formovement between an operative cover applying position and an inoperativeposition spaced from said operative position, said cover applying headin said operative position thereof releasably supporting a skirted coverin downwardly converging relation to said path of movement of thecontainers with the lower edge of the cover extending below saidpreselected level to apply the cover to the container as the latter isadvanced by the conveyor means past the cover applying head, said head-in said inoperative position supporting a cover away from the path ofmovement of the container by the conveyor means, means for sensing thepresence of a container on the conveyor means at the cover applyingstation, and head moving means operated by said sensing means for movingsaid cover applying head from said operative position to sa-idinoperative position in the absence of a container on the conveyor meansat said cover applying station, said cover applying head including adownwardly inclined chute portion having a bottom guide for guidingskirted covers in edge-to-edge relation, a downwardly inclined coversupport ledge at the lower end of said chute portion and offset belowsaid bottom guide a distance at least as great as the depth of a skirtedcover whereby a second cover can move through the chute portion and intooverlying relation to the cover on said support ledge, and a cover gatehaving a lower stop portion engageable with the lower cover on thesupport ledge and an upper stop portion engageable with an overlyingcover, said upper stop portion being offset from said lower stop portionin a direction to stop the overlying cover in staggered relation to thelower cover on said support ledge.

16. In an apparatus for applying skirted covers to containers includingconveyor means for advancing containers along a path past a coverapplying station with the tops of the containers at a preselected level,a cover applying head at said stat-ion having means for releasablysupporting a skirted cover, and means for feeding covers to said head,the improvement comprising, means mounting said cover applying head formovement between an operative cover applying position and an inoperativeposition spaced from said operative position, said cover applying headin said operative position thereof releasably supporting a skirted coverin downwardly converging relation to said path of movement of thecontainers with the lower edge of the cover extending below sa-idpreselected level to apply the cover to the container as the latter isadvanced by the conveyor means past the cover applying head, said headin said inoperative position supporting a cover away from the path ofmovement of the container by the conveyor means, means for sensing thepresence of a container on the conveyor means at the cover applyingstation, and head moving means operated by said sensing means for movingsaid cover applying head from said operative position to saidinoperative position in the absence of a container on the conveyor meansat sa-id cover applying station, said cover applying head including adownwardly inclined chute portion having a bottom guide for guidingskirted covers in edge-to-edge relation, a downwardly inclined coversupport ledge at the lower end of said chute portion and offset belowsaid bottom guide a distance at least as great as the depth of a skirtedcover whereby a second cover can pass through the chute portion and intooverlying relation to the cover on said support ledge, a verticallyyieldable cover gate having a lower stop portion engageable with thelead edge of the lower cover on the support ledge and an upper stopportion engageable with the lead edge on a cover that overlies the lowercover, said upper stop portion being offset from said lower stop portionin a direction toward said chute portion to stop the overlying cover instaggered relation to the lower cover.

17. An apparatus according to claim 16 wherein sa-id lower stop portioncomprises a depending nger on said cover gate having a length greaterthan the depth of one cover and less than the combined depth of twocovers,

said linger being adapted to ride over the upper surface of thelowerrnost cover as it is Withdrawn from the cover supporting ledge toallow the overlying cover to move in engagement with said lower stopportion.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 328,328 l0/l885 McKinney 93-39.l1,955,704 4/ 1934 Bahelka 53-72 2,024,824 l2/l935 Knowles 53-692,056,120 9/1936 Brinton 53-69 2,285,283 6/ 1942 Jones 53-77 X 2,304,14612/ 1942 Brinton 53-313 X 2,340,639 2/1944 Brinton 53-72 2,347,6685/1944 Davies 53-313 X 2,481,508 9/1949 Gschwend 53-315 2,681,758 6/1954Lipson 53-70 3,342,372 9/ 1967 Whitchurch 53--313 X WAYNE A. MORSE, IR.,Primary Examiner U.S. C1. X.R.

